I took the long bus ride back to Dar es salaam from Moshi and had some things to organise. I had to change my flight so that I could talk to the director of WSPA Africa to discuss the Colobus Trust and how they are illegally keeping captive monkeys and that they are kept in a state that is not designed for long term housing and yet they have been kept in these enclosures for over two years with varying degrees of care and neglect dependent on the volunteers present. And that the Trust wants to release them into the wild to a certain horrible death but won't euthanise which is clearly the more humane option. Here I go again. But it needs to be said.
So I luckily got to meet him on me second day in Dar and then left Dar on the 5th and went to Pemba to visit Chris for 10 days before Swahili Divers opened up again and then went back there for 3 weeks.
So I spent 10 days with Chris in his village and also had a few outings to Chake Chake, the main town on Pemba. Pemba was so green when I returned. It is so beautiful in July and having lived there for three and a half months, I felt like I was returning home. It was the only stability I had had in the past 10 months (since I often wanted to leave the Colobus Trust when I was there!). It is actually the second longest time I had lived anywhere since the end of 2003!
It was nice to spend some time with Chris and not be rushing from destination to destination. It was nice to just veg out a bit. It was a bit hard for me though being in a Muslim village and Chris wanting me to conform more than I was. I don't cope with following trends and doing what others do in my own culture let alone be totally not myself in another. But it was ok and I loved the village women. They were beautiful and painted me with henna and had a ball and then wanted to show me off all through the village. It was so much henna. They would usually only have that much for a wedding because it is quite expensive. And it also showed up well on my white skin.
They insisted on waiting to see Chris's response when he returned home from work and waited at his house over half an hour. Me with next to no Swahili and them with no English, it was funny. Then Chris got home and they were so excited to see how he liked it. Gorgeous people. So friendly.
We headed to Swahili Diver's on the 15th with Don, James and Mike (friend's Chris knew through Peace Corps). We cought the Dalla Dalla (transport on an enclosed truck) to Konde where the manager of Swahili Divers, Emma, was to pick us up. She had no idea I was coming back as it had been kept a secret. She figured when she saw a girl that the guys had found some aimless backpacker in Chake Chake. So it was funny to see her reaction. And Stuart, her partner is the dive instructor and didn't really have anyone to help him for the first few days of opening so he was happy to see me. It was good to be needed!
Got into the diving straight away with a full boat every day. Did 15 dives within the first week I was there. Then I was struck with wounds on my ankle from my booty chafing. I hadn't even stopped to check it and it got very infected from the tropical seas because it had become quite deep without me noticing (because I hadn't looked at it!). There were also a couple of ulcers on that same foot that had become infected. Then I got hit with a bad sinusy flu. So the following two weeks only gave me another 7 dives!
Soon enough the 5th July came about and I had to leave Pemba. I was to fly to Dar and then fly from Dar to Heathrow, London on the 6th July. Just in time to join Emma on a 13 day trip to Crete from the 9th. My final piece of travel before settling down to work. Which I had, by this time, seriously begun to miss.
Showing posts with label Tanzania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tanzania. Show all posts
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Climbing to the top of Africa
It was lovely to see Jean again and find out all about her safari, and also to see the children and Anna, Filo, Lawrence, Emma and Marium and our askari and of course Nina (the dog) back in Arusha. But I was aff again almost as soon as I arrived.
I caught a bus to Moshi, and was taken to my accommodation and given appropriate clothes for the climb (about which I had made my mind and booked just before heading off with Chris).
I was picked up early the next morning, met my guide and porters, and Anthony the other climber (a Canadian), who had planned to climb one of the higher peaks on each continent and had already been to Nepal. I felt in the presence of an experienced climber given the highest peak I had climbed was Mount Snowdon in Wales. But Kili was yet to change his ambition and was tougher than both of us had anticipated.
We walked up via the Machame route which is on the western side. Our first day took us from 1500m through rainforest for most of the climb up into moorland and we reached Machame camp at 3000m. It had rained for most of the day and we were sopping by the time we arrived. As we sat in Machame hut waiting for the ranger, I looked over to Anthony who had the light coming through the window behing him. The heat of his body was causing his wet clothes to steam so much he looked like he was going to spontaneously combust. I was apparently doing it too. It was quite freaky. It was cold at night on the hill and I even took to drinking tea at tea break for the warmth and water I needed.
In the morning, the sky was clear and we could see Kibo peak, our goal. We started climbing up a steep incline up steps. Eventually at about 3400m the steps stopped and so did the moorland and we were on rocky terrain. Some level walking, some uphill walking and some clambering over rocks. We set a pretty fast pace and at about 3500m, I started to feel the altitude for the first time. I just felt out of breath so easily and palpitations when I went beyond a comfortable pace. We slowed up a bit. By this time we were above cloud and we knew we would not have to worry about rain. We got to our highest point of 3800m then continued town to Shira camp near the Shira crater. We camped at 3700m.
That night I woke up late when nature called and got out of my tent to be dazzled by the starry night sky. There was virtually no moon and we were above the clouds and there was no light in the camp to detract from it. Possibly the best view of the night sky I have ever seen.
The following morning, we arose and started our climb again. This was a nice gentle slope with boulders on each side. Again, the morning was clear and we had good views of the peak. It was only a couple of hours into our climb that the mist came in and we were walking through eerie cloud with the big dark shadows of boulders around us. We came through the cloud and saw that the peak was not visible as it was still shrouded with cloud. We were making good time so our guide decided to take us up to 4600m instead of 4200m so that we would get better acclimatisation to the altitude. I didn't feel the lack of oxygen at all that day, possibly due to the gentle slope. The difficult bit was coming down again to 3900m where we camped. My leg hurt so much to bend and it was difficult coming down the dried riverbed. I don't like walking downhill much anyway, but with a leg that was becoming more painful to flex with each passing step and the knowledge that I was on the third day and only had 1.5 days before I could be at the peak but may not make it, I just wanted to sit down and have a tanty and cry. But I got to camp eventually and discovered a huge knot in the muscle in my lower leg. I massaged it and got voltaren gel to put on it during the night and in the morning. The next day it was fine. I didn't realise it had been bothering me so much on both day 1 and 2 and I felt like a new woman having two working legs.
So day 4 involved leaving Barranco camp early and again having a great view of Kibo peak. We also were well above the cloud and I could see Mount Meru (that sits beside Arusha and is the 5th highest mountain in Africa) in the distance. The cloud formed a carpet all the way to Mount Meru and I felt like Jack and didn't realise what a hard time it would have been for him going straight up that beanstalk. Still shouldn't have thieved though. I tell you that was one big beanstalk - he shouldn've havested and sold the beans. And as for the faraway tree! Well, Moonface and Silky and Mr Whatsizname must have had high ceilinged rooms and I really would love Moonface's slide!
Anyway, off the topic... I think it was the altitude got me thinking that way. So that morning our climb started with a REAL climb. We clambered up about 300m up a sheer cliff face called Barranco Wall. Then we continued on and descended a lot again. Seemed a waste going down again but it is good for acclimatisation. It was about a 6 hour walk to Barafu Camp and we were knackered as we went up the steep last section of it. It was all rocky terrain and some scree and shaly type areas. It was more clear that it was a volcano we were climbing as we got further up. Barafu camp is at 4600m. There are birds up there I'd never seen before and little mice with stripes on their backs that are perpetually hiding under the rocks from those birds of prey. There were more ravens which had been with us since the second camp and would come at us for food.
After lunch, we had an afternoon nap before dinner bcause we knew we would be up at 11:30pm to have food before starting our final ascent to the summit.
So we set off to the summit at midnight with our guide warning us that we should go slowly and aim to not have to stop for long at any time because it was too cold so we needed to keep moving, albeit slowly so we didn't get exhausted.
There were a few factors that enabled me to complete the climb: 1) I am stubborn and had paid a fortune to do it and wanted to make it, 2) it was dark and I could not see how crazily steep the slopy was in front of me and that it seemed to go on forever (on coming back down in the daylight I honestly don't know how we made it), and 3) Anthony suffered from altitude sickness quite severely after we passed 5000m and nearly couldn't walk and kept collapsing in the snow so I knew that, as exhausted as I was, I wasn't yet that bad and so should be able to push myself further. Very generous of Anthony to give me that confidence boost and not let my resolve crack, although I don't think that was his plan.
Also the view of the stars and the crescent of the new moon were something to behold.
Despite chemical hand warmers and foot warmers in my gloves and boots, my fingers and toes went numb and I'd get my fingers out and suck on them whenever we had to wait for Anthony to stumble upright again. I had a crazy paranoia that I'd lose my fingers and not be able to do surgery again which I think was my way of trying to find a valid excuse to give up and go back down. I was worried for Anthony and suggested he go back down, but he had a stubborn streak not many have and would not give up. He later said to me that he felt the top was closer and therefore, in his altitude befuddled mind, felt it must be easier. I also have to admit, that while I was worried for Anthony, I'd find myself involuntarily laughing at his state in that he was walking like he was absolutely wasted drunk. Given that I was considerably worried about him and I was astonished at myself for even finding the humorous side, I think it may have also had something to do with the altitude. I hope so anyway. I'd hate to think I was that callous. But then maybe I am! Up up and up we went. Occasionally I would see the group far above me and feel disheartened that they hadn't yet reached the ridge at Stella Point. I started reciting things to myself to keep me going. Started with the cranial nerves which took up 500m of the climb since I got stuck on abducens (but who doesn't, what a pathetic nerve anyway, but then I don't really want to be cross-eyed so I suppose it's not so bad). After that I was stuck trying to think of something else to recite. Then we were close enough to see the ridge of Stella Point about 20-30m away and Anthony had collapsed again and seriously couldn't go further. Our guide Daniel pulled him to his feet and pulled him to Stella Point. I scurried up there so fast (or I thought it was at the time but it was probably slower than my dog paddle attempt at Mortlake Encouragement Swim when I was 7) because I had a burst of energy at seeing the (sort of) finish line.
Stella Point is at about 5600m and the rest of the climb is a gentle slope around the rim of the crater. Considering what we had just achieved, you would think that easy. But it's not. There is little oxygen up there and any minor incline feels steep and knocks the stuffing out of you. It still seemed like forever before we were at Uhuru Peak. It helped meeting the other two groups as they made their ways down because we knew it wasn't far. And it was nice to be the last ones there. Only Anthony, Daniel, Jeremy (one of the porters who was acting as backup guide and who went up without a torch which impressed me) and me sitting up there, totally knackered (well Anthony and I were, Daniel and Jeremy looked like they'd just been for a stroll to the park). I cracked open my last galaxy chocolate bar which I had saved for the occasion and shared it with Daniel and Jeremy. Anthony didn't want any due to the nausea of altitude sickness. He also admitted later that he thought a few things happened up there that didn't and realised later that they were hallucinations.
It was dawn as we descended to Stella Point. We watched the sunrise from Stella Point. Quite an amazing spectacle seeing the sun's rays shining over a rocky peak like in a kid's drawing. And we could see the crater and the glaciers up there. It was beautiful and well worth the climb. It was a wonderful sense of achievement and I am glad I did it. A real experience. In saying that, Anthony and I both agreed when we reached Mweka camp that afternoon that we wouldn't do it again no matter what anyone offered to pay us!! But I still do recommend it if anyone hasn't been up there.
So we headed down from Stella point and skated down the Scree at a rapid rate which almost felt like skiing. When I got onto solid ground, I kept running almost all the way to Barafu and was the first person down out of all three groups that went up. I just had so much energy! Got to Barafu and we napped for an hour then headed down to Mweka camp. Got there in the early afternoon and collapsed for another nap. It had been hard going downhill in riverbeds and steep descents in some places. My thighs were trembling with the effort of going downhill.
Our final day was only 1.5 hours of walking on a path down through the rainforest. We saw some Colobus monkeys on the way down. A lot fluffier than the ones I'd seen in Kenya. We arrived at Mweka gate and were transferred back to our hotels in Moshi where we looked forward to nice hot showers (which is a bit of a luxury because many places don't have hot showers) and toilets that didn't require a good aim.
I caught a bus to Moshi, and was taken to my accommodation and given appropriate clothes for the climb (about which I had made my mind and booked just before heading off with Chris).
I was picked up early the next morning, met my guide and porters, and Anthony the other climber (a Canadian), who had planned to climb one of the higher peaks on each continent and had already been to Nepal. I felt in the presence of an experienced climber given the highest peak I had climbed was Mount Snowdon in Wales. But Kili was yet to change his ambition and was tougher than both of us had anticipated.
We walked up via the Machame route which is on the western side. Our first day took us from 1500m through rainforest for most of the climb up into moorland and we reached Machame camp at 3000m. It had rained for most of the day and we were sopping by the time we arrived. As we sat in Machame hut waiting for the ranger, I looked over to Anthony who had the light coming through the window behing him. The heat of his body was causing his wet clothes to steam so much he looked like he was going to spontaneously combust. I was apparently doing it too. It was quite freaky. It was cold at night on the hill and I even took to drinking tea at tea break for the warmth and water I needed.
In the morning, the sky was clear and we could see Kibo peak, our goal. We started climbing up a steep incline up steps. Eventually at about 3400m the steps stopped and so did the moorland and we were on rocky terrain. Some level walking, some uphill walking and some clambering over rocks. We set a pretty fast pace and at about 3500m, I started to feel the altitude for the first time. I just felt out of breath so easily and palpitations when I went beyond a comfortable pace. We slowed up a bit. By this time we were above cloud and we knew we would not have to worry about rain. We got to our highest point of 3800m then continued town to Shira camp near the Shira crater. We camped at 3700m.
That night I woke up late when nature called and got out of my tent to be dazzled by the starry night sky. There was virtually no moon and we were above the clouds and there was no light in the camp to detract from it. Possibly the best view of the night sky I have ever seen.
The following morning, we arose and started our climb again. This was a nice gentle slope with boulders on each side. Again, the morning was clear and we had good views of the peak. It was only a couple of hours into our climb that the mist came in and we were walking through eerie cloud with the big dark shadows of boulders around us. We came through the cloud and saw that the peak was not visible as it was still shrouded with cloud. We were making good time so our guide decided to take us up to 4600m instead of 4200m so that we would get better acclimatisation to the altitude. I didn't feel the lack of oxygen at all that day, possibly due to the gentle slope. The difficult bit was coming down again to 3900m where we camped. My leg hurt so much to bend and it was difficult coming down the dried riverbed. I don't like walking downhill much anyway, but with a leg that was becoming more painful to flex with each passing step and the knowledge that I was on the third day and only had 1.5 days before I could be at the peak but may not make it, I just wanted to sit down and have a tanty and cry. But I got to camp eventually and discovered a huge knot in the muscle in my lower leg. I massaged it and got voltaren gel to put on it during the night and in the morning. The next day it was fine. I didn't realise it had been bothering me so much on both day 1 and 2 and I felt like a new woman having two working legs.
So day 4 involved leaving Barranco camp early and again having a great view of Kibo peak. We also were well above the cloud and I could see Mount Meru (that sits beside Arusha and is the 5th highest mountain in Africa) in the distance. The cloud formed a carpet all the way to Mount Meru and I felt like Jack and didn't realise what a hard time it would have been for him going straight up that beanstalk. Still shouldn't have thieved though. I tell you that was one big beanstalk - he shouldn've havested and sold the beans. And as for the faraway tree! Well, Moonface and Silky and Mr Whatsizname must have had high ceilinged rooms and I really would love Moonface's slide!
Anyway, off the topic... I think it was the altitude got me thinking that way. So that morning our climb started with a REAL climb. We clambered up about 300m up a sheer cliff face called Barranco Wall. Then we continued on and descended a lot again. Seemed a waste going down again but it is good for acclimatisation. It was about a 6 hour walk to Barafu Camp and we were knackered as we went up the steep last section of it. It was all rocky terrain and some scree and shaly type areas. It was more clear that it was a volcano we were climbing as we got further up. Barafu camp is at 4600m. There are birds up there I'd never seen before and little mice with stripes on their backs that are perpetually hiding under the rocks from those birds of prey. There were more ravens which had been with us since the second camp and would come at us for food.
After lunch, we had an afternoon nap before dinner bcause we knew we would be up at 11:30pm to have food before starting our final ascent to the summit.
So we set off to the summit at midnight with our guide warning us that we should go slowly and aim to not have to stop for long at any time because it was too cold so we needed to keep moving, albeit slowly so we didn't get exhausted.
There were a few factors that enabled me to complete the climb: 1) I am stubborn and had paid a fortune to do it and wanted to make it, 2) it was dark and I could not see how crazily steep the slopy was in front of me and that it seemed to go on forever (on coming back down in the daylight I honestly don't know how we made it), and 3) Anthony suffered from altitude sickness quite severely after we passed 5000m and nearly couldn't walk and kept collapsing in the snow so I knew that, as exhausted as I was, I wasn't yet that bad and so should be able to push myself further. Very generous of Anthony to give me that confidence boost and not let my resolve crack, although I don't think that was his plan.
Also the view of the stars and the crescent of the new moon were something to behold.
Despite chemical hand warmers and foot warmers in my gloves and boots, my fingers and toes went numb and I'd get my fingers out and suck on them whenever we had to wait for Anthony to stumble upright again. I had a crazy paranoia that I'd lose my fingers and not be able to do surgery again which I think was my way of trying to find a valid excuse to give up and go back down. I was worried for Anthony and suggested he go back down, but he had a stubborn streak not many have and would not give up. He later said to me that he felt the top was closer and therefore, in his altitude befuddled mind, felt it must be easier. I also have to admit, that while I was worried for Anthony, I'd find myself involuntarily laughing at his state in that he was walking like he was absolutely wasted drunk. Given that I was considerably worried about him and I was astonished at myself for even finding the humorous side, I think it may have also had something to do with the altitude. I hope so anyway. I'd hate to think I was that callous. But then maybe I am! Up up and up we went. Occasionally I would see the group far above me and feel disheartened that they hadn't yet reached the ridge at Stella Point. I started reciting things to myself to keep me going. Started with the cranial nerves which took up 500m of the climb since I got stuck on abducens (but who doesn't, what a pathetic nerve anyway, but then I don't really want to be cross-eyed so I suppose it's not so bad). After that I was stuck trying to think of something else to recite. Then we were close enough to see the ridge of Stella Point about 20-30m away and Anthony had collapsed again and seriously couldn't go further. Our guide Daniel pulled him to his feet and pulled him to Stella Point. I scurried up there so fast (or I thought it was at the time but it was probably slower than my dog paddle attempt at Mortlake Encouragement Swim when I was 7) because I had a burst of energy at seeing the (sort of) finish line.
Stella Point is at about 5600m and the rest of the climb is a gentle slope around the rim of the crater. Considering what we had just achieved, you would think that easy. But it's not. There is little oxygen up there and any minor incline feels steep and knocks the stuffing out of you. It still seemed like forever before we were at Uhuru Peak. It helped meeting the other two groups as they made their ways down because we knew it wasn't far. And it was nice to be the last ones there. Only Anthony, Daniel, Jeremy (one of the porters who was acting as backup guide and who went up without a torch which impressed me) and me sitting up there, totally knackered (well Anthony and I were, Daniel and Jeremy looked like they'd just been for a stroll to the park). I cracked open my last galaxy chocolate bar which I had saved for the occasion and shared it with Daniel and Jeremy. Anthony didn't want any due to the nausea of altitude sickness. He also admitted later that he thought a few things happened up there that didn't and realised later that they were hallucinations.
It was dawn as we descended to Stella Point. We watched the sunrise from Stella Point. Quite an amazing spectacle seeing the sun's rays shining over a rocky peak like in a kid's drawing. And we could see the crater and the glaciers up there. It was beautiful and well worth the climb. It was a wonderful sense of achievement and I am glad I did it. A real experience. In saying that, Anthony and I both agreed when we reached Mweka camp that afternoon that we wouldn't do it again no matter what anyone offered to pay us!! But I still do recommend it if anyone hasn't been up there.
So we headed down from Stella point and skated down the Scree at a rapid rate which almost felt like skiing. When I got onto solid ground, I kept running almost all the way to Barafu and was the first person down out of all three groups that went up. I just had so much energy! Got to Barafu and we napped for an hour then headed down to Mweka camp. Got there in the early afternoon and collapsed for another nap. It had been hard going downhill in riverbeds and steep descents in some places. My thighs were trembling with the effort of going downhill.
Our final day was only 1.5 hours of walking on a path down through the rainforest. We saw some Colobus monkeys on the way down. A lot fluffier than the ones I'd seen in Kenya. We arrived at Mweka gate and were transferred back to our hotels in Moshi where we looked forward to nice hot showers (which is a bit of a luxury because many places don't have hot showers) and toilets that didn't require a good aim.
Arusha with Jean
So I ended out staying in Pemba until Swahili Divers closed for 2 months for the rainy season. I had a wonderful time there but it was nice to get to Dar es salaam with my fellow dm Maxine who showed me her local haunts. It was great to eat a variety of foods and to be in civilisation again. I stayed with Max a week and enjoyed long sleep ins and reading and going out. Then met up with my friend Jean from England and joined her in her tour to Arusha. I had a vague plan that I wanted to see the top of Kilimanjaro. I had planned to climb it until Maxine gave me the idea to skydive over it. A lot less effort and a lot cheaper and a lot less time. Sounded like a good choice. Unfortunately got there and found out that the skydive company was closed due to a plane crash! Which would have taken away my argument against skydiving which is, why jump out of a perfectly good plane!
So I spent a couple of weeks with Jean helping her and some locals in a centre for children called the Urafiki Centre. It is a centre where orphaned children get support, food and supplementary education and it also supports the children to go to school and encourages them to progress in life rather than work on the streets as touts and beggars and thieves. It was great. The children were beautiful as were the people that ran the place. They were so helpful even though I didn't do much to help at all. I painted a wall an underwater theme (I was missing diving, it had been a couple of weeks), tried to teach one of the workers to touchtype on the new computers so she in turn could teach the children, and unfortunately got one of the kids addicted to pinball.
But a lot of the time was spent having girl chats and catch up with Jean which was lovely. It had been a long time since I had seen someone I knew from prior to my travels so it was so nice to have evenings in with wine and chat about this and that.
I still hadn't climbed Kilimanjaro and didn't quite know what I was going to do when my friend Chris from Pemba came to Arusha for a conference and we caught up. He invited me to join him travelling Uganda and Rwanda to see chimps and possibly gorillas. So I decided to do that.
So I spent a couple of weeks with Jean helping her and some locals in a centre for children called the Urafiki Centre. It is a centre where orphaned children get support, food and supplementary education and it also supports the children to go to school and encourages them to progress in life rather than work on the streets as touts and beggars and thieves. It was great. The children were beautiful as were the people that ran the place. They were so helpful even though I didn't do much to help at all. I painted a wall an underwater theme (I was missing diving, it had been a couple of weeks), tried to teach one of the workers to touchtype on the new computers so she in turn could teach the children, and unfortunately got one of the kids addicted to pinball.
But a lot of the time was spent having girl chats and catch up with Jean which was lovely. It had been a long time since I had seen someone I knew from prior to my travels so it was so nice to have evenings in with wine and chat about this and that.
I still hadn't climbed Kilimanjaro and didn't quite know what I was going to do when my friend Chris from Pemba came to Arusha for a conference and we caught up. He invited me to join him travelling Uganda and Rwanda to see chimps and possibly gorillas. So I decided to do that.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Swahili Divers (amazing diving, good times and weight loss retreat)
So the next stop was Pemba, the northern island of the Zanzibar archipelago. I had booked a ten or so day stint and 20 dives and got there a little worse for wear after a final night in Unguja.
The first dive I did took me a bit by surprise as I had never been in a current really before (only really surge occasionally) and the first dive I did was at a site called Deep Freeze, which I later learned was known for its currents. It was quite a fast drift and I soon learned the art of drift diving: relax and enjoy the ride! I got up from that dive amazed by the drift and the beautiful corals and the spectacular wall that was that site. I was informed that that wasn't even a fast current for that site!!! Luckily I got used to it as most people do.
I was loving the diving. Most of the dives being wall dives and occasional drifts. The corals in Pemba are stunning and the fish life is abundant.
I spent each morning diving and generally afternoons sleeping unless there were three dives being done in which I would do a third dive.
It was on obout my 3rd or 4th day that my usual amazing good luck kicked in. Just having finished dinner, I got called over by Raf and Cisca, the owners of Swahili Divers. After finding out what level certification I was, they then went on to offer that I stay on and do a heap of diving and courses with them for no real cost at all as long as I helped out a bit and then guide some dives as a divemaster. Before making the decision to stay, I asked several questions trying to find out what the catch was. In asking, the deal just seemed too good to be true, but it was real. So I stayed and ended out staying until April 15th when they closed for the rainy season for 2 months.
It was a pretty good lifestyle. Get up, dive, lunch, do a few jobs in the dive shop with the dive instructors Stu and Wes and my fellow divemaster Maxine, then go for a shower and back to the Banda for a beautiful sunset, a beer and to socialise with whoever we had staying as well as my fellow crewmembers. Pretty idyllic. It's great being in the right place at the right time!
I did 150 dives while there, became a divemaster and guided dives. I met some amazing and fun people. Most people that come to Swahili Divers are keen and experienced divers and very easy to talk to so it was easy to get along with them. It was a great lifestyle and led to me leaving the place at my pre-Norway weight (when I was 15 pre Stratos and Melkesjokolade chocolate's effect) without any effort put in at all (in part because I had no access to chocolate). Never did I think I would be less than 60kg but it happened. Now I am away from Swahili Divers though I have put on at least 2kg. I really need to go back!
I loved the diving there and my favourite dive site was already Manta point before the dive I had there that was to be my favourite dive. And I have to describe that dive to you. Many may already know about it. Manta Point is an underwater mountaing which has a drop off on one side to 1600m depth and then it comes to a point where there is a sandy area and as you go round that point, the dive site is a sloping wall with a sandy bottom at 25m. I was easily swimming along the drop off side with the diver who had been with us about a week. There was no current and the visibility was amazingly clear. I looked ahead to see Stu getting excited about something big in the distance at the point. He had two other divers with him and were well ahead off us in the really clear visibility. I saw the shadows of the large creatures up ahead and could see from the way they moved that they were dolphins. I have never finned so fast ever. These dolphins who were by the sandy patch were playing. There was three of them and they looked at us as we interrupted them and sat down on the sand. After only a short time, they headed away but one of them kept turning back to look at us as though in curiosity. The visibility was so clear that we could see them for ages as they headed towards the closest dive site which was well within due to the visibility.
It was so amazing to see them playing underwater. I think I was excited about it far a good month afterwards.
And now I am more addicted to diving than before. It is nearly 2 months since my last dive. I need to go again.
The first dive I did took me a bit by surprise as I had never been in a current really before (only really surge occasionally) and the first dive I did was at a site called Deep Freeze, which I later learned was known for its currents. It was quite a fast drift and I soon learned the art of drift diving: relax and enjoy the ride! I got up from that dive amazed by the drift and the beautiful corals and the spectacular wall that was that site. I was informed that that wasn't even a fast current for that site!!! Luckily I got used to it as most people do.
I was loving the diving. Most of the dives being wall dives and occasional drifts. The corals in Pemba are stunning and the fish life is abundant.
I spent each morning diving and generally afternoons sleeping unless there were three dives being done in which I would do a third dive.
It was on obout my 3rd or 4th day that my usual amazing good luck kicked in. Just having finished dinner, I got called over by Raf and Cisca, the owners of Swahili Divers. After finding out what level certification I was, they then went on to offer that I stay on and do a heap of diving and courses with them for no real cost at all as long as I helped out a bit and then guide some dives as a divemaster. Before making the decision to stay, I asked several questions trying to find out what the catch was. In asking, the deal just seemed too good to be true, but it was real. So I stayed and ended out staying until April 15th when they closed for the rainy season for 2 months.
It was a pretty good lifestyle. Get up, dive, lunch, do a few jobs in the dive shop with the dive instructors Stu and Wes and my fellow divemaster Maxine, then go for a shower and back to the Banda for a beautiful sunset, a beer and to socialise with whoever we had staying as well as my fellow crewmembers. Pretty idyllic. It's great being in the right place at the right time!
I did 150 dives while there, became a divemaster and guided dives. I met some amazing and fun people. Most people that come to Swahili Divers are keen and experienced divers and very easy to talk to so it was easy to get along with them. It was a great lifestyle and led to me leaving the place at my pre-Norway weight (when I was 15 pre Stratos and Melkesjokolade chocolate's effect) without any effort put in at all (in part because I had no access to chocolate). Never did I think I would be less than 60kg but it happened. Now I am away from Swahili Divers though I have put on at least 2kg. I really need to go back!
I loved the diving there and my favourite dive site was already Manta point before the dive I had there that was to be my favourite dive. And I have to describe that dive to you. Many may already know about it. Manta Point is an underwater mountaing which has a drop off on one side to 1600m depth and then it comes to a point where there is a sandy area and as you go round that point, the dive site is a sloping wall with a sandy bottom at 25m. I was easily swimming along the drop off side with the diver who had been with us about a week. There was no current and the visibility was amazingly clear. I looked ahead to see Stu getting excited about something big in the distance at the point. He had two other divers with him and were well ahead off us in the really clear visibility. I saw the shadows of the large creatures up ahead and could see from the way they moved that they were dolphins. I have never finned so fast ever. These dolphins who were by the sandy patch were playing. There was three of them and they looked at us as we interrupted them and sat down on the sand. After only a short time, they headed away but one of them kept turning back to look at us as though in curiosity. The visibility was so clear that we could see them for ages as they headed towards the closest dive site which was well within due to the visibility.
It was so amazing to see them playing underwater. I think I was excited about it far a good month afterwards.
And now I am more addicted to diving than before. It is nearly 2 months since my last dive. I need to go again.
Zanzibar
So the next stop was Unguja, Zanzibar from the 22nd December to 6th January. I stayed north of Stone Town and found Stone town to be similar to Lamu with the narrow streets in which I would easily get lost with buildings either side.
The place where I stayed was a lovely little house with an outdoor raised hut where you could sit and look over the beach. I was in a "dorm" room which was actually a two bedroom room and I only shared it for half of my stay so it was a great deal. It was a friendly atmosphere and I was not far from Stone Town where I explored, went out and played pool with friends I made there and went for diving. I was actually not planning to go diving from Unguja since I planned to go north to Pemba (the northern island of Zanzibar archipelago) where I had heard there was much better diving once I left Unguja. But I couldn't help myself and did ten dives with One Ocean and found the reefs off Stone Town quite beautiful. I also planned to dive from Kendwa in the north and booked the dives but then unfortunately got sick New Year's Eve and had to cancel the diving and any celebrations I would have been having. But it had given me an excuse to get up to the north and see the beaches of Nungwi, Kendwa and Matemwe which are very beautiful (especially Matemwe which is quiet and not overrun by tourists).
Generally loved my time there and found it to be beautiful. But I was yet to see the beauty that is Pemba, beauty both above and below sea level!
The place where I stayed was a lovely little house with an outdoor raised hut where you could sit and look over the beach. I was in a "dorm" room which was actually a two bedroom room and I only shared it for half of my stay so it was a great deal. It was a friendly atmosphere and I was not far from Stone Town where I explored, went out and played pool with friends I made there and went for diving. I was actually not planning to go diving from Unguja since I planned to go north to Pemba (the northern island of Zanzibar archipelago) where I had heard there was much better diving once I left Unguja. But I couldn't help myself and did ten dives with One Ocean and found the reefs off Stone Town quite beautiful. I also planned to dive from Kendwa in the north and booked the dives but then unfortunately got sick New Year's Eve and had to cancel the diving and any celebrations I would have been having. But it had given me an excuse to get up to the north and see the beaches of Nungwi, Kendwa and Matemwe which are very beautiful (especially Matemwe which is quiet and not overrun by tourists).
Generally loved my time there and found it to be beautiful. But I was yet to see the beauty that is Pemba, beauty both above and below sea level!
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